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Orlais
A centuries old Empire that has long dominated events in Thedas, the Orleisan Empire, or simply Orlais, is one of the most powerful nations in the world. Home of the Divine and long since accepted as a cultural capital, Orlais is in many ways the beating heart of modern Thedas. "I remember, as a child, watching a column of chevaliers parage down a wide avenue in Val Royeaux. Dashing knights on armored steeds, pennants snapping in the breeze. I have never forgotten." ''- Revered Mother Laeticia on Orlais'' Geography A vast land occupying much of the South-West of Thedas, Orlais is home to a number of different landscapes and climates. The low lands around the capital and to the South tend to be fertile, with plentiful rainfall that drains off into the Waking Sea. Slighlty further north, however, the drainage is not as good, giving rise to the large swampland known as the Nashashin Marshes. Much of the West is dominated by the canopy of the Tirashan forest, and to the south the land grows more rugged and mountainous. Overall, Orlais enjoys a generally temperate climate, slightly warmer than its neighboring Ferelden but cooler than the more northern countries. Cities and Major Settlements *Val Royeaux - Capital *Halamshiral - former Capital of the Dales *Jader *Montsimmard - home of the Orlesian Circle of Magi *Mont-de-glace *Ghislain *Montfort *Arlesans *Churneau *Lydes *Val Chevin *Val Firmin *Val Foret *Verchiel Regions *Nashashin Marshes *Tirashan Forest *Andoral's Reach *Deauvin Flats *Gamordan Peaks *Lake Celestine *The Abyssal Reach *The Arbor Wilds *The Dales *The Heartlands *The Western Approach History Orlais was founded by Emperor Kodillus Drakon I, who formalized the teachings of Andraste into the Chantry in the aftermath of the First Blight and Andraste's slave revolt agains the Tevinter Imperium. Leading the new Orlesian Empire in a programme of rapid expansion, Drakon managed to join the Anderfels to Oralis, won several victories against the darkspawn during the Seond Blight and convinced the Grey Wardens to convert to the worship of Andraste before dying of old age in 1:45 Divine. His son and sucessor, Kordillus Drakon II, was not as adept a leader as his father, however, and under his rule many border regions of the Orlesian Empire, including the Anderfels , seperated from the Empire. Orlais managed to reatin control of its heartland and its sourthern provinces, while maintaing an influence in all human nations through the Chantry. Orlais next turned its attention to the elves of the Dales, who had continued a policy of seclusion since being given the Dales by Andraste. Fuelled by accusations that an elvish army had simply watched as the darkspawn had attacked the Orlesian city of Monstimmard, relations between the humans and the elves quickly soured, culminating in the Chantry calling and Exalted March against the elves. With Orlais providing much of the Chantry's fighting force, the Chantry was eventually able to capture the Dales and crush the elvish armies, despite the elves managing to capture the Orlesian capital of Val Royeaux. When the Chantry was split into the Orleisan and Imperial Chantries, Orlais sent several armies against Tevinter as part of the Exalted Marches called by the White Divine. Peace was only made between the two when the Qunari arrived and attacked from the North, with Orlais eventually signing the Llomeryn Accords to secure peace with the Qunari invaders. In 8:44 Blessed, Orlais invaded and captured its neighboring Ferelden, extending its borders and placing a puppet king on the throne. The Orleisans forbid the calling of a Landsmeet, declaring the ancient Ferelden tradition to be treason, and proceeded to heavily tax and in many ways abuse their new subjects. Facing an underground resistance led by the deposed Therin family, the Orleisans sent scores of chevaliers to Fereldn in an attempt to keep order, eventually killing King Brandel and Moira the Rebel Queen before being defeated by the Ferelden forces led by the young King Maric and the gifted strategist Loghain. With their puppet King dead and the Fereldens actively organized under their new leaders, the Orlesians had no choice but to withdraw from the country, accepting that Ferelden was no longer part of their Empire. Diplomatic contact was only resumed when the current Empress Celene I took the Orleisan throne, with whsipers and rumour suggesting that she had plannned to marry the young King Cailain of Ferelden before his untimely death during the Battle of Ostagar. Culture and Society Ambitious and wealthy Orlais is the most powerful single human nation in Thedas. Under its current ruler, Empress Celene I, Orlais has seen the aristocracy again flourish, becoming famed for its supposedly high culture of excess and extravagance. Notably, the noble classes are noted for their penchant for high fashion, often copied in other lands such as Nevarra and the Free Marches, but always more extreme within Orlais' borders. Both men and women wear cosmetics of various kinds, with subtle differences marking out social standing and influence. It is also not uncommon for nobles to be seen wearing elaborate masks in public, with these masks being hereditary and used in identifying one's family in a way similar to a creat or heraldry. Orlais is also noted as a center of learning, with the University of Orlais in Val Royeaux being the largest collection of non-Chantry affiliated scholars in all of Thedas. A relatively modern insitution, the University attracts young men and women from all across Thedas, whose often liberal minds lead them to clash with religious conservatives across the world. Almost all nobles are known to harken back to the days of old, when Orlais ruled an Empire that spreadh from coast to coast. These expantionist dreams are publicly displayed and often encouraged in polite company. Across all Orlais, the nobles and influential play the Game. The perpetual competition for influence and esteem between Olreisan nobles, the Game is conerend with obtaining tokens of prestige such as patronages and familial ties. It is said that more Orleisan blood has been shed by the Game than by any war Orlais has fought in, with nobles commonly employing assassins to take out rivals or annoyances. The rules, such as they are, are as simple as anything goes, with success acheived by social one-upmanship, wherin, rumours, scandals, insinuation, bribery and conspiracy are common place. The ultiamte agents of the Game are the bards - travelling musicians and performers who also are also trained in espionage and assassination. Employed by one noble to shame another, it is a strange paradox that the nobles welcome these bards with open arms even when suspecting ill will, welcoming the chance to match wits with one of them. Control of these agents for hire is an important part of the Game, and often the difference between life and death for the nobles. Politics In Orlais, land is owned exclusively by the aristocracy, with all power coming solely from the Emperor or Empress, who absolutely rules all of Orlais. Many Orlesian nobles belong to the renowmend knightly order of Chevaliers. Membership is an obvious way to improve one's social standing, and it is the obvious choice for landless nobles or noble children not in line to inherit. The knighthood welcomes both men and women, although it is rarer to actually find a woman who has chosen the harsh life of a chevalier over the gentle bliss of marriage and children or the peace of the Chantry. The training of the Chevaliers is legendarily harsh, instilling in the knights a fierce discipline and code of honour that takes precedence over the knight's life. The penalty for dishonour is death. Honoured by many and considered amonst the best of all soldiers, they also have unlimited rights when it comes to handling the peasants, effectively placing them above most of the common laws of Orlais and causing many conflicts. Orlais at Fortress of Glass Here at Fortress of Glass, we welcome original characters of any class from Orlais, and are happy to allow any reasonable member plot to occur in the country. Rogues from Orlais will be more likely to have had training in the Bard specilization. Plots in Orlais As the seat of the Chantry in Thedas, the events in Kirkwall have hit Orlais harder than most everywhere else. The Templars are demanding that more be done to control the mages, while the mages cry out about Templar abuses - and the Divine sits in the middle. Should war between mage and Templar break out, Orlais will almost certainly become one of the bloodiest battlegrounds. Many nobles have long held the view that Ferelden should be part of Orlais once more, and with discontent at the rule of Empress Celene becoming more widespread, there are whispers of an attempt to reclaim the former province once more. Redirect Main Page Registration Details Site Backstory Category:Locations Category:Orlais